Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Borough
Veteran Borough Officer Soto Promoted to Lieutenant in Bristol Borough
Officer Elifa Soto has served the Bristol Borough Police Department for more than 24 years. For a number of those years, he served as the borough’s top narcotics officer setting up undercover buy and busts.
His undercover skills were so sharp that he once arrested a man after years of recovery who never gave up the lifestyle at Burger King on Rt. 13 in 2013/14. In spite of living in the borough for years, the suspect did not recognize Soto as a police officer at all and sold him a lot of crack cocaine, according to court records.
On Monday night Bristol Borough Council promoted Patrolman Soto to Lieutenant as he was sworn in by District Judge Terrance Hughes.
Council had to first approve two motions to affect the promotion and did so unanimously on each motion
Chief of Police Joe Moors said the department needs to elevate the ranks with veteran officers becoming eligible to retire in 2026.
“The chain of command is one of the most essential elements of an effective police department,” Moors told council. “It establishes a clear structure of authority, responsibility and communication, ensuring that decisions are made efficiently and that accountability is maintained at every level.”
Moors said adding Soto to the command administrative structure will better link the department’s command staff with patrol officers and sergeants.
The role includes providing direct supervision while assisting the chief with administrative tasks and day to day operations.
Moors highlighted Soto’s bilingual skills — he is fluent in both English and Spanish — as a “critical asset in a diverse and growing community like ours” that supports collaborative operations with local, state and federal agencies.
Soto will be a working Lieutenant, officials noted.
“It’s very important that we have strong leadership,” Moors said. “And Officer Soto has assured me that he is not going anywhere anytime soon. He loves being here, he loves his community, and he continues to work, wants to work far into the future here.”
The department continues to grow and develop with the hiring of women and new part timers and recently adding a former Falls Twp Police officer to the roster.
“I am deeply honored to accept this position,” Soto said. “As a long-time and dedicated officer, I take pride in serving our community. I want to sincerely thank the mayor here, chief of police, the borough of council, for their trust and support.”
Council vice president Betty Rodriguez a serving member for more than two decades seconded the motion to approve Soto’s new employment agreement. She cited Bristol’s diversity as a key factor in the hiring.
“The fact that I’ve been here 22 years as the first Puerto Rican on this council is very important to me,” Rodriguez said. “To see us grow as a community and to be diverse is very important to me.”
Bristol Borough Council President Ralph DiGiuseppe said municipal leadership had been discussing adding the role for a year.
“He’s a good cop, community leader, and we’re gonna be proud to call him lieutenant,” DiGiuseppe said.
Soto has recently completed FBI leadership, command supervision, and executive training. He currently serves as both an active Bucks County Major Incident Response Team officer and as a sworn Bucks County Narcotics Detective.
Credit: Bristol Borough
Bristol Borough Fire Chief Herb Slack on Tuesday morning released the following statement on last nights Dorrance Street Fire.
It’s only been edited for style:
Credit: Submitted
Credit: Joe Nelson
Cops
Emergency Crews Prepare for Incoming Blizzard as Lower Bucks Municipalities Declare Storm Plans
Lower Bucks municipalities have declared disaster/snow emergencies in advance of the expected snow storm that the National Weather Service says will dump anywhere between 14 to 18 inches on the area.
A winter storm warning is still in effect from Sunday, Feb 22 to Monday, Feb 23.
Each municipality has its own link. For more information and updates, please click on their associated link.
Bensalem Township – Disaster Emergency declared immediately for the pending snow storm. Click here to see more details.
Bristol Borough – Snow information/requirements have been posted on their website. Click here to see the details.
Bristol Township – Snow Emergency effective 12 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 through 12 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Click here to see more details.
Falls Township – Snow Emergency starts Sunday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. and expires on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 6 a.m. Click here for details.
Langhorne Borough – Snow Emergency starts Sunday, Feb. 22 at noon until Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. No parking. Click here for details.
Lower Makefield Township – Snow information has been posted on Meta. Click here to see the details.
Middletown Township – Snow Emergency is in effect from Sunday, Feb. 22 at 12 p.m. to Monday, Feb. 23 at 12 p.m. . Click here to see details.
Morrisville Borough – Snow Emergency is in effect from Sunday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. to Monday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. Click here to see the details.
Newtown Township – A Snow Emergency is in effect from 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 until 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. Click here to see the details.
Penndel Borough – Snow Emergency has been declared from 12 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, 2026, through 12 p.m. on Monday, February 23, 2026. Click here for more details and click here for more on the ordinance.
Tullytown Borough – Snow Emergency proclamation in effect from Sunday Feb. 22 – 6 p.m. to Monday Feb. 23 – 6 p.m. Click here to see more details.
Warminster Township – Disaster Emergency has been declared for the incoming snow storm, effective Sunday Feb. 22, 2026 at 12 p.m. through Tuesday, Feb. 24,2026 at 12 p.m.. Click here to see the details and click here to see the declaration from Township Manager Tom Scott.
Yardley Borough – Snow Emergency proclamation in effect from Sunday Feb. 22 – 4 p.m. to Monday Feb. 23 – 4 p.m. . Click here to see the details. and click here to see declaration/other information from Mayor Caroline Thompson.
The primary concern is safety. Take care of yourselves and check on neighbors and those who may be vulnerable.
Please stay safe, take all necessary precautions, and keep your devices charged.
Click here for updates from the National Weather Service
Click here for PECO’s outage map.
Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Borough
Cops: Bristol Man Charged with Robbery; Suspect Identified Via Sports Jacket Seen on Video During Altercation
A Bristol Borough man was taken into custody and jailed Friday night accused of robbery, simple assault, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct stemming from a Jan. 26 incident at the Sunoco Gas Station on Bath Road and Rt 13.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Bristol Borough Police were dispatched to the gas station/convenience store at 10:45 p.m by 911 after the assault/robbery was called in by gas station staff.
Responding police officers met with the employee who said two men entered the store and one attempted to rob him, assaulted him, damaged the store and then fled on foot. The employee said one of the two suspects reached through the safety glass that is usually in place during night hours, punching him in the face and neck area several times and breaking his glasses, the criminal complaint alleges.
Officers noted, in the probable cause, visible bruising on the employee’s face from the robbery assault. In addition, there were a number of store items damaged.
The victim told police the direction the suspects fled which officers canvassed and came up empty in the suspect search.
On Jan 27 officers reviewed gas station security video footage (no audio) showing, according to the probable cause, Mark Rodriguez (who police had yet to identify) getting into an argument with the victim, reaching underneath the security window, pulling it up and pummeling the victim.
The unidentified man with Rodriguez remained nearby but was on his cell phone, police said, at the time of the assault and was wearing a Bristol High School sports jacket.
Bristol Borough Police identified the owner of the jacket (a minor) with help from school district officials. The minor provided a written statement to police identifying a family member of his/hers (Rodriguez) as the suspect who assaulted the Sunoco Gas Station employee and that he was present for the altercation.
The written statement was facilitated by Bristol Borough Middle/High School Lead Teacher Mike Poploskie, and sent via email to lead investigator/officer Chris Tehan. Subsequently police were able to confirm Rodriguez’s identity and that he lives on the 150 block of Otter Street.
About one week later, police met with the parents of the student who was present at the altercation in which the minor was interviewed by police.
The youngster provided police with a “voluntary” statement confirming his/her previous written statement and allowing police to have a warrant issued for Rodriguez’s arrest.
Rodriguez was arraigned by on-call District Judge Mark D. Douple last Friday on robbery and related counts. He set bail at 10 percent of $75,000.00 and remanded Rodriguez to Bucks County Jail until his next hearing date, currently set for Feb 25.
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